Are you hooked? Take my quiz to find out. If you love houses as much as I do, then I bet you can't click just one! - Julia

2.12.13

A Beach Cottage That’s Black and White and Red All Over

When February rolls around and Valentine’s Day with it, I suddenly start craving more red in my house. The only room that has much of it right now is my sunroom. I loved this 1912 beachside cottage featured in Better Homes and Gardens because the homeowners broke away from the typical beachy blues and went with punches of red instead.

They whitewashed the red-brick fireplace to make it look more “mellow.”

The article says, “Casual and fun is the perfect description for this minimally remodeled, vintage-adorable two-story home along the coast where open windows let in fresh ocean breezes and a Dutch door welcomes guests. A sidewalk is all that separates the house from the beach.

“With a passion for fixing up old houses the couple saw the potential in this early 20th century charmer right away. The original board-and-batten wainscoting, built-in cupboards, and exposed beam ceilings were remarkably intact, though the fir floorboards were buried under layers of linoleum and indoor-outdoor carpet. The homeowners refinished the floors and freshened the woodwork with durable white marine paint.”

Washable white denim slipcovers protect the chairs. I can attest to the fact that they work. We’ve had a white denim slipcover on our playroom sofa for 10 years and it washes up great.

The kitchen counters and backsplash are black soapstone. I’d never think to do that much black in a beach cottage kitchen, but it totally works. And how great is that shelf above the window? LOVE.

My thoughts exactly. We have a beach cottage with the same white cabinets and black counters. We haven’t gotten around to putting up the tile backsplash, just assumed we’d do white subway tiles, but this black tile has given us an idea that would never have occurred to us before! Love it.

Perfection!
So often when I see rooms or entire homes decorated in black, white and red, it sometimes looks either too retro, modern or just simply dated. All I see when looking at this home is a charming, cozy beach cottage. It’s a beautiful home and I love everything about it!

If I could pick this house up and move it to my property I totally would. I don’t know how it’s possible how a person like me can have so many favorite houses, but I do. How am I supposed to decide on a house plan when there are so many different architectural details that I love?

I got mine at Target years ago (for the playroom sofa), so it isn’t as fitted as these. However, the slipcovered look is so popular now that a lot of furniture is sold this way. For instance, I have the Ektorp sofa and chairs with slipcovers from IKEA, so they’re made specifically for those pieces of furniture and are fitted for them. They weren’t expensive at all. You can get them custom made or from more expensive furniture stores, too, of course. Sometimes they can cost more than the chairs themselves!

Love Love Love! I’m not a fan of red, but like how it is just used as accents and can be easily changed out. I LOVE all of the antiques mixed with plush, comfy furniture! That could be my forever home.

Oh yes! It is my favorite color scheme, AND this is one of my favorite homes featured in a magazine. Such a cute and welcoming place! I could easily move in and not change one single thing.
Lots of red going on over at my place (“lots” as in the last 3 posts!) So if you want a dose of red come on over for a visit.
Kelly

What a pretty look! I love the color blue, but I am *not* into shells and fish and marine life. So the beach style I see portrayed in magazines seems to be “Cover every horizontal and vertical surface with shriveled bits from the ocean and beach.” Okay, maybe not that extreme… Anyway, this is a refreshing beach cottage style. Thank your for sharing!

Absolutely beautiful. Love the colors and the general style of the home. My fave picture is of the white chair in front of the bedroom window with that view. I will look at these photos again for instant stress relief! Thank you.

You could certainly see your enthusiasm within the article you write.
The world hopes for more passionate writers such
as you who are not afraid to say how they believe.
At all times follow your heart.

I followed the link from your other post to this and I’m so glad that I did. I love this. I just adore it. I’m not usually a red person at all, but I really love how they used it here–it is simply perfection. I’m usually much more drawn to blues and greens, however here I love the red and think they completely understand the concept of what judicious use means.

I really appreciate that they whitewashed the fireplace working with the red, instead of painting it completely white or making it more modern. A Dutch door would work well in this environment too given the sea breezes and that there usually isn’t a lot of issues with bugs. I love the vintage look and feel of the place and I really appreciate that they saw the potential of the place and respected the footprint. I grew up loving and appreciating homes like these and if this is Newport Beach I once knew it well. Glad to see other people who appreciate these homes as I do. I’m happy knowing that they still exist. Thank you for featuring such an inspiring and lovely gem. My gosh wouldn’t you just love to live here.